Screen and storm sash fastener



April 3, 1956 A. MOELLER 2,740,653

SCREEN AND STORM SASH FASTENER Filed Sept. 19, 1952 INVENTOR AXEL MOELLER ATTORNEYS United States Patent SCREEN AND STORM SASH FASTENER Axel Moeller, Racine, Wis., assignor to Ludwig Manufacturing Company, Racine, Wis.

Application September 19, 1952, Serial No. 310,498 1 Claim. (Cl. 292-404) This invention appertains to resilient fasteners of the type embodying a swinging latch lever for detachably holding screens or storm sashes in frames and is an improvement on the Dahnert Patent No. 2,122,130 issued January 28, 1938.

For ease of installation and for certain other purposes, a single fastening screw is provided for holding the base plate, which carries the latch lever to secure the fastener in place on the frame. During the operation of the latch lever, there is a tendency for the base plate to turn on the screw as an axis, which results in the movement of the latch lever from out of its desired holding position with the screen or storm sash.

It is therefore, one of the salient features of this invention to provide novel means for forming the base plate in such a manner that upon the tightening of the single holding screw certain portions of the base plate will be drawn into intimate biting contact with the frame, whereby turning of the base plate on the screw irrespective of forcible movement of the latch lever will be eliminated.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a novel and simple means for forming the base plate so as to insure the desired gripping of the base plate with the frame, by merely bowing the base plate transversely to position the edges of the base plate for engagement with the frame, so that upon the tightening of the screw the edges will engage and bite into the wood of the frame.

A still further object of the invention is to provide novel means for locating the screw on the base plate whereby to facilitate the turning of the screw home into the frame and for functioning as a stop for limiting rearward movement of the latch lever on the base plate and in the hinge barrels formed on the base plate.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a window frame showing a storm sash associated therewith, with the improved fastener in its operative position for holding the sash in place.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the latch lever in its operative position.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view through the frame taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the improved fastener in end elevation, the view illustrating the transverse curvature of the base plate to form the biting edges.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the screw for holding the base plate in position and for drawing the longitudinal edges of the base plate into biting contact with the frame.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of Figure 6 looking in the direction of the arrows and illustrating the modified form of the base plate.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter F generally indicates my improved fastener, which is adapted to be associated with a window frame W for holding a storm sash S or screen in place.

The window frame W and the sash S form no part of my present invention, and, hence the same can be of any approved construction. The frame and sash have merely been illustrated to show one use of the improved fastener.

The improved fastener F embodies an attaching base plate 10, and a swinging latch lever 11. The base plate 10 is formed from a single piece of metal of resilient nature, suitably treated to resist wear and the elements.

In accordance with my invention, the base plate 10 is provided adjacent to its longitudinal edges with spaced parallel longitudinal slits 12, which form side resilient fingers 13. The outer ends of the fingers 1.3 are slightly arcuated to form hinge barrels 14, for a purpose, which will later appear.

The slits 12 extend inwardly from the forward edge of the base plate to a point which is short of the outer edge of the base plate. The body of the base plate between the slits 12 and intermediate the opposite ends of the base plate, is provided with an opening 15 for receiving the shank of a headed screw 16. The opening 15 is located at a certain desired point, for a purpose, which will be later set forth.

In accordance with my invention, the rear end of the base plate is curved or arched transversely, as at 17, so that the longitudinal edges 18 will be forced down inwardly of the body portion of the base plate to bite into the wood of the frame W upon the drawing home of the screw 16.

The base plate 10 is also arched longitudinally, as is best shown in Figure 5 and this arch insures the setting of that portion of the base plate lying between the hinge barrels 14 into the wood or frame. Upon the tightening of the screw 16 into the wood, as shown in Figure 2, the longitudinal arch is straightened and that portion of the base plate lying between to hinge barrels is brought tight into engagement with the frame of the window.

The latch lever 11 includes a flat body portion 19 having formed on its inner end the laterally extending flat pintles or hinge pins 20. Formed on the forward end of the body portion is a substantially U-shaped arm 21 for engagement with the storm sash S, or screen.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lever 11 has its rear end positioned on the base plate 30 between the resilient fingers 13 with the flat pintles 20 inserted under the arcuate hinge barrels 14.

Obviously, the latch lever 11 will be held in place by the spring fingers and the fingers engage the pintles in such a manner as to normally hold the lever in its operative position or in its inoperative position over the base plate 10.

As also shown in Figures 1 and 2, the opening 15 for the fastening screw 16 is disposed forwardly of the transverse center of the base plate, so that the head of the screw will project beyond or forwardly of the inner ends of the hinge barrels 14. Hence, the head of the screw 16 is disposed partly within the confines of the hinge barrels 14, and the head of the screw will engage the inner end of the latch lever and positively prevent rearward shifting movement of the latch lever when in the hinge barrels 14. This will efiectively prevent tearing of the spring fingers at the slits 12.

In accordance with my invention, as the screw 16 is threaded into the wood, the base plate will be drawn toward the wood of the frame and the edges 18 of the plate will be slightly forced into the wood and consequently turning movement of the base plate on the screw is eliminated. This is an important feature and forms a salient part of this present invention.

As illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the opposite rear corners of the base plate 10 can be bent down to form sharp penetrating prongs 22 and these prongs will dig into the wood and also prevent the turning of the base plate on the fastening screw.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what I claim as new is:

A resilient fastener comprising a base plate having a pair of longitudinal slits defining resilient fingers and a central body portion, arcuate hinge barrels formed on the outer ends of said fingers, a lever having laterally extending hinge pintles disposed on the upper surface of the base plate with the pintles in said barrels, said base plate having an opening therein between said fingers and in said central body portion, said central body portion being curved longitudinally and transversely and arched, a fastening screw extending through the opening and into a frame for drawing the base plate toward the frame and the central body portion into binding contact with the frame, and a head on said screw engaging the rear edge of said lever to prevent rearward shifting of the lever in the hinge barrels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

